Volkswagen ID.4 EV runs the NORRA Mexican 1000 off-road race

KUALA LUMPUR: After winning the coveted World Car of the Year Award, the Volkswagen ID.4 EV headed towards NORRA (National Off-Road Racing Association) Mexican 1000 racing event. And, guess what, the electric SUV successfully completed the challenging 1,141-mile (1,836 km) off-road test, which traverses the desert of the Baja California peninsula. 

The slightly modified version of the ID.4 was driven by brand ambassador and professional driver Tanner Foust, with Emme Hall acting as navigator. They started the race on April 25 and wrapped up on April 29.

This meant huge success for the brand as the ID.4 has become the first EV that ever entered this famed off-road race. Out of the 90 participants, only 64 completed the race and the Volkswagen EV was one of them. By participating in such an event, the automaker wanted to demonstrate the capabilities of its new MEB vehicle architecture in quite demanding conditions and terrains. 

Under the bonnet, the EV carries its stock powertrain setup and 82-kWh battery pack. Between the different stages of the race, the team used a portable biofuel-powered generator to recharge the EV. The car gets an off-road suspension for the race, including the following revisions:

• Rally-style coil-over struts at all four wheels
• Tubular lower control arms in the front and boxed lower in the rear links
• Increase in ride height by 2.0 inches
• Relocation of radiator for better approach at angles and cooling capacity
• Skid plates of 3/8-inch steel at the undercarriage

The engineers also swapped the stock 19-inch wheels for 18-inch rims, with Yokohama Geolandar A/T 255/70R18 tyres. Speaking about the ID.4 racing interior, it boasts racing seats, a roll cage, and additional screens for important info like battery temperature.

“This was an exciting test of ID.4 technology because no other production-based EV had ever entered this event, let alone completed it,” said Scott Keogh, CEO of Volkswagen of America. 

“Congrats to our team for demonstrating that EVs can stand up to extreme environments, and showing how fun electric vehicles can be. The ID.4 could definitely be the Baja Bug for the electric age,” he further added.

Also read: Volkswagen ID.5 EV teased; performance GTX variant confirmed